Components reuse in the building sector – A systematic review

© The Author(s) 2020. The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Rakhshan, K., Morel, J.-C., Alaka, H., & Charef, R. (2020). Components reuse in the building sector – A systematic review. Waste Management & Research, 38(4), 347–370 by Sage Publications Ltd. All rights reserved. It is available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X20910463.Widespread reuse of building components can promote the circularity of materials in the building sector. However, the reuse ofbuilding components is not yet a mainstream practise. Although there have been several studies on the factors affecting the reuse ofbuilding components, there is no single study that has tried to harmonize the circumstances affecting this intervention. Through asystematic literature review targeting peer-reviewed journal articles, this study intends to identify and stratify factors affecting thereuse of components of the superstructure of a building and eventually delineate correlations between these factors. Factors identifiedthroughout this study are classified into six major categories and 23 sub-categories. Then the inter-dependencies between the barriersare studied by developing the correlation indices between the sub-categories. Results indicate that addressing the economic, socialand regulatory barriers should be prioritized. Although the impact of barriers under perception, risk, compliance and market subcategoriesare very pronounced, the highest inter-dependency among the sub-categories is found between perception and risk. Itsuggests that the perception of the stakeholders about building components reuse is affected by the potential risks associated with thisintervention.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Looking Inwards for Sustainability: Nigerian Cities and Building Demolition-waste or wealth?

Cities could generally be described as sustainable before the replacement of manual labour with machines known as the industrial revolution of the 18th century in Europe. Nevertheless, the Industrial Revolution has been associated with environmental degradation and other negative impacts. The trend continued for two centuries until it was realised that there is a limit to the capacity of the earth to withstand such impacts. The damage to the earth needs to be halted by choice or forced by natural consequences. The idea of pursuing economic development with minimum negative socio-economic and environmental impacts comes to be known as Sustainability. The built environment becomes at the centre of the sustainability agenda due to the enormous negative impact to the environment. Moreover, it was reported that 90% of all materials resources ever extracted might be used in the built environment. Unfortunately, many of these materials, including 10% unused are discarded as wastes. In the UK example, 90-120 million tonnes of construction and demolition (C&D) waste is generated annually. This makes C&D wastes even more critical to the sustainability agenda; and in search for solution, in the words of Janine Benyus, it may even involve the urban westerners learning from the wisdom of the preindustrial societies that have been living in harmony with the nature. In the preindustrial community of Kano in Nigeria, there is virtually zero C&D waste; rather it is merchandise. The different categories of the stakeholders were interviewed to establish how the system works, the conditions that led to its emergence, and limitations. It was discovered that the end-of-life management of buildings in Kano is a naturally evolved industrial ecology analogous to the natural ecological system, whereby the bye-product of one process becomes the raw material for another with no waste. Furthermore, a conceptual model of the system was developed using the biomorphic adaptation of the shell of an African snail. It was therefore argued that sustainability practices are inherent within the African traditions rather than to be learnt from outside

Drivers and Barriers of Mobile Phone Remanufacturing Business in Indonesia: Perspectives of Retailers

Remanufacturing is deemed to be effective in reducing WEEE. Existing studies on remanufacturing mostly focus on operational issues, product acquisition, and pricing. However, some doubts about remanufacturing business arise in developing countries, where there is less regulation on remanufacturing and less environmental awareness. This study aims to investigate the prospects of remanufacturing business from the retailers' perspectives through in-depth interviews on three retailers in Surabaya, Indonesia. The main drivers for mobile phone remanufacturing business are its affordable and competitive price, big demand for popular mobile phones and high-end mobile phone, the opportunity for specification upgrade, and its suitability with the needs of Indonesian people. The main barriers for remanufacturing business are the possibility for cannibalizing new mobile phones' market share, the uncertainty of core supply, discontinuity of replacement part supply, lack of product knowledge among consumers and retailers, hesitation of retailers to sell remanufactured products, and lack of strict and clear regulations about remanufacturing business. Findings of this study provide insights to prospective mobile phone remanufacturers of what needs to be tackled to start a prosperous business. On the theoretical side, it provides complementary knowledge to existing studies that have been conducted mostly on countries that have higher environmental awareness

Final report : task 4 : waste minimisation in construction

The Regenerating Construction Project for the CRC for Construction Innovation aims to assist in the delivery of demonstrably superior ‘green’ buildings. Components of the project address eco-efficient redesign, achieving a smaller ecological footprint, enhancing indoor environment and minimising waste in design and construction. The refurbishment of Council House 1 for Melbourne City Council provides an opportunity to develop and demonstrate tools that will be of use for commercial building refurbishment generally. It is hoped that the refurbishment will act as an exemplar project to demonstrate environmentally friendly possibilities for office building refurbishment

Circular business strategies and supply chain finance in the Aruba waste sector : a case study of a small island jurisdiction

This paper focuses on possibilities and obstacles for a circular economy in the waste management sector in Aruba. The authors describe the Aruban economy and the consequences of its SIDS characteristics. The article defines concepts in the field of circular economy and presents a conceptual model for research in this area. Based on multimethod research, the paper argues that small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) in the waste sector in Aruba determine their financial needs partly on the opportunities offered by the international market and price developments. Financing often takes place from own resources or via a local bank. No examples of circular chain financing were identified. Chain cooperation takes place with partners within the existing holding or with international partners, whereby performance and hedging contracts are concluded to guarantee quality and delivery and to mitigate business risks such as price fluctuations on the world market. During the research, it became obvious that limitations resulting from Aruba’s small scale and ‘islandness’ – such as the limited goods flow, limited quantities of feed waste materials and financing facilities offered by the local banking sector, as well as insufficiently stimulating legislation and regulations, coupled with faltering knowledge circulation and social awareness – seriously hamper the development of circular entrepreneurism in Aruba. The article offers policy recommendations to mitigate the bottlenecks for sustainable development in Aruba.peer-reviewe

Software Reuse in Agile Development Organizations - A Conceptual Management Tool

The reuse of knowledge is considered a major factor for increasing productivity and quality. In the software industry knowledge is embodied in software assets such as code components, functional designs and test cases. This kind of knowledge reuse is also referred to as software reuse. Although the benefits can be substantial, software reuse has never reached its full potential. Organizations are not aware of the different levels of reuse or do not know how to address reuse issues. This paper proposes a conceptual management tool for supporting software reuse. Furthermore the paper presents the findings of the application of the management tool in an agile development organization

Pollution Prevention and Business Management. Curricula for Schools of Business and Public Health. Volume 1: Modules 1-3

These instructional modules are based on the premise that sustained economic development is dependent upon sustained protection ofthe environment. They also reflect the fact that preventing waste is far more cost effective than managing the waste once it is generated. Pollution prevention not only offers businesses a competitive opportunity, it is a natural extension of sound management practices. Incorporating pollution prevention into business management and government regulation will enhance longterm economic prosperity.published or submitted for publicatio

How Governance Regimes Shape the Implementation of Water Reuse Schemes

The governance dimensions of water reuse scheme development and operation, such as policies and regulatory frameworks, and public involvement and stakeholder collaboration, can serve to both facilitate and constrain wider adoption of water reuse practices. This paper explores the significance and underlying structure of the key governance challenges facing the water reuse sector in Europe. It presents empirical evidence from interviews and focus group sessions conducted at four water reuse schemes: an indirect potable reuse scheme at Torreele (Belgium), the urban reuse of treated municipal wastewater at the London Olympic Park (United Kingdom) and at Sabadell (Spain), and the reuse of agro-industrial effluent for irrigation at Capitanata (Italy). The findings underscore the importance of clarity in policy arrangements around water reuse, as well as of the financial competitiveness of reuse projects compared to alternative water supply options. Operators of water reuse schemes expressed a preference for water quality standards, which focus on appropriateness for use rather than over-emphasise the waters’ origin so that unnecessary treatment and costs can be avoided. Positive public support was widely acknowledged as an important factor in the success or failure of water reuse schemes. We conclude that constructive institutional relationships underpin many of the challenges faced by reuse scheme operators and that greater emphasis should be given to building confidence and gaining trust in water service providers through early identification of how governance regimes shape the viability of new scheme